135 Girls in Sierra Leone to Receive Continued Support Through Secondary School
Tolulope Aina Agricultural Missions, Inc. (AMI) and Week of Compassion are continuing a programme to support 135 girls in nine villages across Sierra Leone during the 2026–2027 school year.
The programme will provide school uniforms, shoes, books and other learning materials, alongside counselling and peer support, to girls attending junior and senior secondary schools.
The initiative is implemented locally by the Village to Village Federation, a community-based organisation established under AMI’s West Africa Initiative.
The renewed partnership marks the fourth consecutive year of support from Week of Compassion for the programme, which aims to promote gender rights, prevent violence against women and improve girls’ access to education.
Across Sierra Leone and Liberia, the programme will support 270 girls in 18 villages. The girls are divided into three groups who joined the initiative between the 2021–2022 and 2023–2024 school years. The first group is expected to complete secondary school in 2027.
Winston Carroo, AMI’s Director of International Programs, said the partnership aims to help girls remain in school while enabling communities to address gender-based violence and discrimination.
The programme also involves parents, teachers, community leaders and other stakeholders in monitoring school attendance and progress and helping girls overcome challenges that could interrupt their education.
Peer counselling units in secondary schools will provide students with opportunities to seek guidance and support one another.
As part of the wider regional programme for 2026–2027, awareness sessions on gender-based violence are planned in six communities, with an expected reach of 450 women and men.
The initiative will also strengthen community watch groups, mediation, counselling and links to available support services to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence.
AMI launched its West Africa Initiative with local partners in 2008 to support rural recovery following the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The initiative initially focused on local food production but has since expanded to include food security, youth participation, ecological farming, gender rights and girls’ education.
According to AMI, the programme’s 2024 report recorded hundreds of women and men reached through education and awareness sessions, while 345 girls had received school support to date.
The renewed programme will be monitored by local partners and community committees, with AMI conducting midyear and year-end reviews and submitting programme and financial reports to Week of Compassion.